Ghost Killer Track — Talent, instinct and connections
He’s a performer, a songwriter, a director and a talent hunter… Just a few years after he was discovered – putting his legendary tag on rising stars’ street bangers – Ghost Killer Track has made a name for himself as one of French rap’s biggest behind-the-scenes figures. He makes hits, finds new stars and pulls the strings… all outside the spotlight. What’s his secret? Talent, instinct and connections… along with a lot of guts and outsized ambition.
Ghost Killer Track is from Gonesse, in the suburbs north-east of Paris. He got into beatmaking through his older brother. But when he discovered Chicago’s drill scene (Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Lil Reese and others), he decided to make his move. He cut his teeth with his childhood friend, Haristone, before making his way up through an emerging scene in the mid-2010s. A group of artists from the Triangle d’or neighborhood in the 17th arrondissement of Paris (PSO Thug, XV Barbar and figureheads Leto and Cheu-B) breathed new life into French rap, with spontaneous, energetic “street” style. But they all had something else in common: the “Ghost Killer Track, mec” tag that kicks off each of their biggest hits (Captain Cook, Tommy Egan, Thuggin, etc). With his big studio presence, Ghost got to know everyone. For him, artistic collaboration is synonymous with human connection. That’s how he got the idea for his first opus — Slimmer Alchemists 2 (13Block, Nelick, Leto, Cheub-B, and AlkPote) — in 2018 when it was still rare for beatmakers to have their own projects.
He built his career gradually, but 2019 and 2020 were a real turning point. He met Gambi, and then came the tidal wave Popopop, an enormous success with 100 million views to date. Record labels were blown away by Ghost’s talents as a hit maker and did their best to win him over. He opted for a deal with Universal Publishing, since he shares the label’s vision and ambitions, in particular regarding the role he can play both in France and internationally. Ghost Killer Track is hands-on, curious and ready for new experiences: this charismatic producer is ready to try concerts, festivals and the DJ booth. Although the pandemic has delayed his adventure, a booking agency, Strong Live Agency, signed him on to help make it happen. At a time when many recording artists had to stop working, Ghost turned the spring 2020 lockdown into a launching ramp and used that time to work on new projects, like his Producers Champions League. In this unofficial tournament organized spontaneously on one of his favorite platforms, Instagram, artists from the entire French beatmaking scene – from the biggest names to complete newcomers – faced off live, every day, in a spirit of healthy – and salutary – competition.
Soon after, Sony Music’s Hall Access label signed him as a recording artist — something rare for a beatmaker. Between his accolades from 2020 (credits on gold records by Larry, Kaza and Gambi), his work on big albums (productions for Cheu-B, Leto, etc.) and his incredible capacity for bringing people together, Ghost has proven time and time again that he has the strength, the influence and the clout to become a major figure on the French scene. Working with director and sound engineer IBO, Ghost is ready to make an industry splash with new singles. His next release is going to be epic: Tonight, featuring names like D-Block Europe and Oboy is scheduled to be released on March 26. Stay tuned, Ghost Killer Track has big things in store.
